American men are not the only ones who went through changes throughout the centuries. American women also went through various things throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. These women, young and old, black and white, went from stay at home moms, and slaves with no say, no rights, to women with rights, equality, and most importantly jobs. Although the African American women and the white women were thought of very differently, both groups went through a lot of various and vast changes. It was not always easy or very pleasant but it was worth it because the women from yesterday set the new bar for women today. “Between 1870 and 1920, the number of women in the work forces more than doubled.” (pg. 500) Many contributions had led to this. The …show more content…
These women were not always treated like queens or equals. In the late 19th century after losing the war the men” . . . imagined southern white woman as paragons of virtue or purity who required them to defend them” (Goldfield p. 477). Therefore these men saw their women as inferior and weak and even after women took on certain roles in society, “most Americans in the 1900 believed a woman’s proper role was to care for home and family” (Goldfield p. 501). This in fact showed women shouldn’t have the right to make their own money; instead they should spend all their time doing things for the family and their homes. Meanwhile, “woman’s suffrage . . . seemed to challenge the natural order of society, and it generated much opposition not only among men but among traditionalist-minded women as well” (Goldfield p. 592). The odds looked to favor all opposed to women in society even in the 1950s but “the pressures of young marriages, large families, and economic needs interacted to erode some of the assumptions behind the idealized family and laid the groundwork for dramatic social changes in the 1960s and 1970s” (Goldfield p. 785). This however, was the turning point officially for women in the work force and in
America is the land of opportunity. It is a place of rebirth, hope, and freedom. However, it was not always like that for women. Many times in history women were oppressed, belittled, and deprived of the opportunity to learn and work in their desired profession. Instead, their life was confined to the home and family. While this was a noble role, many females felt that they were being restricted and therefore desired more independence. In America, women started to break the mold in 1848 and continued to push for social, political, educational, and career freedom. By the 1920s, women had experienced significant “liberation”, as they were then allowed to vote, hold public office, gain a higher education, obtain new jobs, drastically change their appearance, and participate in entertainment and sports. However, there are some that say that females were still suppressed by the advertising industry and stereotypes. But even with those setbacks, women achieved a new way of life that affected the entire nation.
Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.
Women were held at an extremely high standard, in fact, they were held at a standard that was too high. They were expected to be at-home mom and take care of their children and their husbands. It was frowned upon if they obtained a higher level of educated, and it was disdainful for them to have a job outside the home. Women who did acquire a job found that what were not treated with the same respect as men and were paid less than men (“Women in Antebellum America”). For these reasons, women decided that enough was enough and it was time to start standing up for themselves.
As female roles changed, the patriarchal and chauvinistic society that was America was beginning to be noticed, women’s rights advocates in particular became aware of the gender inequalities present in their society, chafed under these limits, and established a movement which is still present in America today. Women in early American history were assigned and in some manners even restricted to the domestic sphere of the family, women being the ‘homemaker’ made them clearly inferior to men and were never thought of as being socially equal. However, this began to change during the antebellum period which witnessed many of America’s most shameful barbarities but also some of its noblest efforts at social justice.
Furthermore, while women performed many duties at home, it was not “considered real work, because. they earned no money” (Bryant 2). American culture saw women as a helpmate for the man and a “nanny” for the children. Women often were not allowed to voice their opinion and an education for a female was seen as a worthless option.
The 1920s were a time of great change in the United States. World War I had just ended and everyone was joyous that it was over. Women had assumed new roles as the men were gone, but as they returned, the women were meant to go back to their old lives. Instead of doing this, they created a new style that came with new attitudes, to celebrate life. Not only did those that survived the war have reason to celebrate, but the survivors of the Spanish Influenza had reason to celebrate life as well. It was at this time that the flapper came about with her hair cut in a bob style, wearing shorter, more revealing dresses, and walking around with a bold new confidence. The flapper soon became a symbol of the changing times
From the year 1848 to the 1920s, women fought the belief that they were inferior to gain equal rights in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Before the twentieth century, women were not allowed to own property, vote or work most jobs , but the longer they fought for equality, women gain more rights and the beliefs of many people started to change. With the more rights women gained, they gained more power in society, government, and over themselves. Before the start of America, American women were responsible for raising the family and running the household while the men were out working and making money for the family (Marisco 9-10). Before the 1830s, teaching, nursing, or clerical or domestic positions were careers meant for women.
American women had a new lifestyle and role. There were three different ideas about the identity of women. These included the 19th Amendment, the flapper, new opportunities, and family during 1920. In 1917, women’s organizations started to fight for their freedom, right to vote, and equality. The 19th Amendment passed in 1920, was the best result for women to get the first step on a new role. It represented that women had the same rights as men and they were no different. The flapper was the new word and showed young women how to embrace a new style of clothes, image, and behavior. During the 1920s, women had short hair, wore skimpier skirts, smoked, and talked about sex. All of these changes surprised and shocked the previous generation. “Along with all this, the younger generation discovered sex. It was hardly unique to their generation, but they had the automobile in which to experiment.” (AC,p.180) These 10 years, it changed the ideas people had about women. The traditional style no longer existed and they had a new style of sexual freedom and fashion. There were also new job opportunities for women. Many of them got professional jobs after they graduated colleges, such as a nurse, teacher or typesetter-“By 1930, 10 million women were earning wages: however, few rose to a managerial job, and whatever they worked, women earned less than men.”(textbook p.442)Although women earned less than men, it proved women had a specific level in society. In the same way, it changed the idea that only men had responsibilities to support their families financial needs. At those points, women’s role became freedom and equal as
American women enjoy more rights and freedom than any other women in the world. They have played an active role in shaping their history and ensure that suffering and discrimination of women does not take place in the current society. It is this freedom and equality enjoyed by women in America that serves as a perfect definition of the contemporary American culture. While this might be the case for the current society, women in the 1800's and the 1900's had to endure much suffering and tribulations in the American society due to their gender roles assigned to them by the society. They have played an active role in the history of America to ensure that they enjoy freedom, independence and the liberty to do what they want without having to undergo
Women’s groups in the United States worked together to win women’s suffrage and later to create and support the Equal Rights Amendment. The economic boom between 1917 and the early 1960s brought many American women into the workplace. As women began to join the workplace, they became progressively more aware of their unequal economic and social status. Homemakers, many of whom had previously obtained college educations, began to voice their lack of personal fulfillment. They had an awakening, they realized their lives were not fulfilled and wanted more than what the restraints of society would offer them.
Many conflicting expectations were imposed on women by society during the early 19th century. Women were subjected to such stereotypes that limited what gender was thought to be capable of. During the 19th century women were portrayed in a position that is dominated by men and their cry for freedom and equality were rarely heard. I have chosen the story "Bird Song" by Chimamand Ngozi Adichie and the story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid as my primary sources. My objective is to show the readers how Class and Social standing of women during the early 19th century made it impossible for them to be a part of the society with such equal rights as men.
From 1890 to 1930, the percentage of women older than 16 who worked increased from 20.6% to 25.3%. However, up to 1920, the variety of women’s occupation was still pretty limited, as 86% of women’s jobs were clustered in 10 occupations, which usually made less money and had lower social status than men. The number of wives participating in the workplace had increased dramatically. At the beginning of the 20th century, only 15% of working women were married.
Going back to the 1800s and even earlier in time women were really not recognized as being a substantial part of society as they were not allowed to vote, and didn’t have much of a say in certain issues or had the same rights as men. It was only during World War I and World War II that women began to work in men’s positions to fill vacancies left by those who had gone to war, which provided a gateway to climb the ladder in the working world. As time progressed and women stood up for themselves, with movements made such as the women’s suffrage, more opportunities rose with a wider range of jobs which meant there was now hope for women to become a bigger part of society. Leading up to modern day, some women have sought out to be some of the
The roles and expectations of women have varied through cultures as well as time, itself. Often some women held greater power and importance in governments whereas others hardly had a voice. As time has progressed, there have been many things that have changed for the female sex. However, there have also been many things that remained the same, including the fact that women in the 20th century had more advantages in health, involvement in war and politics, and legal rights.
American women and men face sort of cultural expectations about how they should speak and behave. While some cultural expectations between females and males are still around outraging this, most expectations are not followed anymore and are rare. Yes women and men pursue cultural expectations, but as time goes by ways of speaking and body language changes. Women did not have a voice back then like men or have any rights that could benefit them. Things have changed so women now could express themselves and live to their expectations and goals. Men speaking expectations have changed throughout the years and so have their body language.